The “50%” MYTH came from Paul Harvey. Back in the day (I believe in the late 80s but I’m not sure) he misread a census report on his radio show. He then said that half of all marriages end in divorce. This is one of the most widely circulated myths in our society. Whatever the rate is, it is not 50%. This educational moment brought to you by grad school sociology of the family.

There are many people getting married. People do it all the time. However, cohabitation, where people do not enter a legal union but live together and have kids and everything else, is on the rise. Marriage is still around because it is a tradition. People see it as a moral thing, a traditional thing, a way to declare yourself taken… It serves many functions in our society which is why a great many people get married.